What We Believe

Along with the historic Christian Church our beliefs are beautifully summarized in the Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting.

These beliefs are central to our being. They shape our mission in our community. We are called to help anyone take the next step toward becoming more like Jesus.

Mission and Vision

Our Vision: To be God's Source of Shining Light and Living Water in the western suburbs, by Drawing People to Know Jesus, Becoming Like Jesus, and Serving as Jesus.

We’ve identified five activities by which we carry out our vision. These are more than simply things we think we should do; they reflect the core values of our faith community.

WORSHIP:
Celebrative worship expresses our love for God. It equips and energizes us for expressing our relationship with him in every part of our lives. Today’s heads-down, busy lifestyles often prevent us from looking around and taking joy in who God is and what God has provided us. We were planned for God’s pleasure and for that purpose we pause to worship him. Weekday activities and Sunday services offer many opportunities for prayer, singing and sharing what God is doing in our lives.

CONNECT:A Vision for Fellowship
Don’t travel alone. Traveling alone only increases the risk of getting lost, losing hope or not having someone to care for you if you get hurt. We are a fellowship of believers mobilized for a common purpose. We rely on each other for encouragement, care and accountability and we find this is most effective when you are part of a Small Group.

GROW: A Vision for Discipleship
We believe that the Bible is the story of God and his people—and one that points to Jesus Christ. Understanding who he is and how he lived will help you consider how the truths of the Bible can impact your life. We aim for a church culture that guides people to take their next step to be like Jesus.

SERVE:A Vision for Ministry
Our church is full of people quietly and industriously serving others within our church and in our community. Every member is a minister. No one is expendable. Our goal is to have every adult involved in ministry that utilizes their spiritual gifts and takes advantage of their availability and interest. We encourage spiritual gifts to be used as God calls. The secret is that there is immeasurable joy and reward in serving.

SHARE: A Vision for Outreach
Invite others to join us. If we truly love our neighbors, we will ask them to travel with us. This goes for our neighbors across the street and our neighbors across the ocean. We were made for this mission, so it is our purpose to share freely with those around us.

The CRC Denomination

Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church is a part of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), which has its roots in the Protestant Reformation. In North America, we are made up of about 1,000 congregations, 80,000 families, and over 300,000 members. The U.S. denominational headquarters is in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

As a denomination, we are enthusiastic supporters of evangelism and mission activities extending from our local communities to the world. Our major mission activities are:

World Renew (formerly CRWRC)
To relieve desperate human need, World Renew works with local Christian agencies and communities, giving help with leadership skills, diaconal assistance, income earning, literacy training, health education, food production, disaster response, refugee sponsorship, and development education. In 29 countries, 70,000 families are helped in this holistic way.

Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM)
Working closely with CRWRC, CRWM reaches people in many nations with the Gospel message. They are responsible for developing leaders and churches in many countries, including Nigeria, Hungary, the Ukraine, Romania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Philippines and China.

Christian Reformed Home Missions (CRHM)
CRHM focuses on facilitating the growth of the church in our own country through church planting, training, financial support and an annual leadership training conference.

Back to God Ministries International
Back to God Ministries International is our denomination's electronic media ministry. It's programs are heard in both the U.S. and across the globe. It has been an effective means of communicating the love of Christ to many people in many languages, including English, Spanish and Chinese.

Another significant aspect of the Christian Reformed Church is our support of Christian education, from preschool through post-graduate. Here in Elmhurst, we maintain strong ties with Timothy Christian Schools, which provide preschool through high school education. Many others in our community also support the schools and benefit from their programs.